Latitude 3540 Safe Mode

[lexluthor5]

Hi, I have a Dell Latitude 3540 on Windows 10 and I can't get into safe mode.
I hit F8 at boot and it brings me to a screen that has windows defender offline on it.  If I either cancel that or let the scan run, it reboots again after. 
If I have multiple failed reboots, that also takes me to windows defender offline.
I can't get into windows due to a blue screen each time (I know the problem if I could only get into safe mode to resolve it).
How do I get to the recovery menu instead of windows defender offline?
Any assistance is much appreciated!

 

[ffg7]

Press Restart. After Windows 10 reboots, you can choose which boot options you want enabled. To get into Safe Mode, you have three different options. To enable Safe Mode press the F4 key on your keyboard, to enable “Safe Mode with Networking” press F5 and to enable “Safe Mode with Command Prompt” press F6
http/www.digitalcitizen.life/4-ways-boot-safe-mode-windows-10

 

[lexluthor5]

I must have tried 20 restarts. After every 3 or so failed boots (by holding power down during startup) it boots into windows defender offline. After I let that run or cancel it, the system tried to start windows again. It's never going to bring up a recovery mode screen. It's like windows defender offline has hijacked my recovery mode somehow. I really don't see anyone else with this problem. It's very strange.

Right now, I'm restoring an image backup so (hopefully) I'll be back up in a few minutes, but I need to figure out a way to get into Recovery mode in the future. I'm just lucky I did an image backup last night.

Once I have access to windows again, I can try to load recovery mode from inside windows and see if that brings me to windows defender offline too.

Please share any other ideas.

 

[ffg7]

so what I posted did not work & neither did the link?

 

[lexluthor5]

What you posted as far as the power did not work, no. Anytime that the recovery mode screen would have kicked in (like I've seen it on other PCs), up came the windows defender offline screen.

As far as the link, I can't get into windows at the moment, so I don't know. My restore is almost done, so I'll try it in a few. Even if i can get to recovery mode from inside of windows, I still need someway to get into recovery mode if I can no longer get into windows (like now).

 

[lexluthor5]

Back up. From inside windows, I did shift reboot and was presented with the choose an option screen where I could choose troubleshoot, then advanced options->troubleshoot->startup settings and I could get into safe mode from there.

Tested again multiple failed boots and now I was taken to a recovery screen. Nuts! Why was it taking me to windows defender offline before instead of the recovery screen!?

 

[lexluthor5]

Once I've restored my image backup, both last night and this morning I simulated boot failures and windows sent me to the correct recovery mode screen.

I have no idea why it was sending me to the windows defender offline screen last night and am certainly worried that issue will pop up again next time I can't get into windows and need to get into recovery.

Perhaps I had scheduled windows defender offline to run, but never actually ran it and it was sitting there waiting the next time recovery was called? I don't think I've tried to run windows defender offline for many months though.

I found no other reports of this at all in searching. This was a strange one.